AFL great Danny Frawley skipped the psychiatrist session the day he died when his car hit a tree

Terrific new details have emerged about the lonely final days of AFL great Danny Frawley, whose tragic death in a car accident has shaken the footy world.

The St Kilda legend and the beloved media personality died on Monday when his ute struck a tree near Ballarat in the land of Victoria, not far from where he grew up on his family's potato farm, hence the nickname & # 39 ; Spud & # 39 ;.

Frawley, who in recent years has opened up about his battles with depression and constant mental demons, was booked to see a psychiatrist in Melbourne the afternoon he died, according to The age.

A day earlier on Sunday, Frawley had planned his 56th birthday with family, but was not present, the publication reported.

Advertisements

Danny Frawley is survived by his wife Anita and three daughters Danielle, Keeley and Chelsea

The AFL legend last appeared on Saturday in the Fox Footy program Bounce, just two days before his death

The no show came a day after Frawley made his last public appearance in the Fox Footy show Bounce on Saturday.

Advertisements

Host Jason Dunstall got a & # 39; birthday cake & # 39; a raspberry muffin with a single candle, and told Frawley to make a wish.

After blowing out the candle, Frawley refused to say when Dunstall asked what he wanted.

Although the cause of the one-vehicle accident was not officially announced, a source told Daily Mail Australia that self-injury was the most likely explanation.

Advertisements

It is understood Frawley spent a lot of time in recent months in the farming community of Bungaree where he grew up, 103 kilometers west of Melbourne.

Allegedly he had told good friends that his marriage was over and it was financially difficult.

Frawley was killed when his car hit a tree 20 miles east of Ballarat on Monday afternoon

Advertisements

Danny Frawley (pictured with his daughter Danielle) died when his vehicle hit a tree

He worked in stables run by a friend and regularly visited his mother Shirley and siblings who still live in the neighborhood.

& # 39; He has two lives, & # 39; told former teammate St Kilda Michael Roberts to The Age.

& # 39; He always went back to the country to get lucky and the jungle was the city. I know it was comforting for him to go home. & # 39;

It is expected that Frawley & # 39; s sudden death in the coming weeks will demand a lot of attention for men's mental health problems, especially in AFL circles.

Advertisements

Collingwood Magpies star Adam Treloar, who recently opened his terrifying battles, now wished he had acted based on his desire to get in touch with the AFL legend after listening to the Frawley podcast about his mental health battles .

& # 39; I remember listening to it and I really didn't know how bad his mental health was and how much he struggled – and that's because I just didn't know the man, & # 39; said a heartbreaking Treloar on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Tuesday evening.

& # 39; When I listened to him, I wanted to meet him at that time, I wanted to call him, I wanted to talk to him.

& # 39; I was so shy, I wish I had enough balls to call him and talk to him.

& # 39; You can never foresee what will happen and expect it to happen. My heart goes out to him because I know he had his struggles – he talked about his struggles – and I have my struggles real and real.

Advertisements

& # 39; My heart just goes out to him. I'm just lost. I feel so sorry for his family. & # 39;

Danny Frawley was nicknamed Spud because he grew up on a potato farm in Victoria

Frawley is depicted on his farm in an image he posted on Twitter before his tragic death

Advertisements

Frawley is survived by his wife Anita and three daughters – Danielle, Chelsea and Keeley.

His heartfelt family issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon expressing their love and pride for a remarkable man who has touched the lives of many.

& # 39; The Frawley families are totally shocked and devastated by his death, but Danny has given us strength, good humor and unwavering support during his extraordinary life, memories that are cherished and help us cope with his tragic death & # 39 ;, the statement said.

& # 39; Danny has made friends from all walks of life. He had a smile that would illuminate a room, an infectious smile and an easy charm that made people feel good about themselves. He really loved and cared about people and they loved him too.

Advertisements

The destroyed family of Danny Frawley has issued a statement to express their love and pride for a remarkable man who has touched the lives of many

& # 39; For everyone who knew him, Danny was a caring, loyal, selfless, loving person who would always put others first and apart from his work in football and the media, he worked hard to use his profile to stigma in to remove depression-related and encouraged acceptance and support for people suffering from psychological problems. & # 39;

The family also thanked everyone for their overwhelming support in the last 24 hours.

& # 39; We are humble, proud and unbelievably moved & # 39 ;, was the statement.

& # 39; His legacy and love for his family will never be darkened. Forever in our hearts. & # 39;

Frawley coached Richmond from 2000 to 2004 and worked with Hawthorn and St Kilda before becoming a commentator

An improvised sanctuary continues to grow at the headquarters of the St Kilda AFL team, where club size Nicky Winmar expressed his respect to his former teammate with a sincere tribute.

Advertisements

& # 39; Cuz, my Kooda forever, & # 39; he drew.

He remembered Frawley as a great man and described his sudden death as unfair.

& # 39; Danny was just Danny. As a captain, as a man, I would walk with him through the desert, I would wage war with him because he is a true believer, & told a ruined Winmar The Herald Sun..

& # 39; It is a wake-up call for the AFL, depression and anxiety, you have to let people know that we are people and not robots. & # 39;

& # 39; It's a wake-up call for everyone, just get back together and catch up as friends. We walk across the white line to play footy as teammates. & # 39;

An improvised sanctuary grows at St Kilda's headquarters, where Frawley played 240 AFL games

Frawley & # 39; s heartbroken former teammate Nicky Winmar visited the club on Tuesday to pay his respects with a sincere tribute

FULL FRAWLEY FAMILY STATEMENT

Danny was tragically taken from us on Monday.

The Frawley family has been destroyed, but full of love and pride for a remarkable man who has touched the lives of many.

For some, he was known as an AFL footballer, coach and media figure; but for his wife Anita and their three daughters, Chelsea, Danielle and Keeley, Danny was a loving husband and a dedicated father. Danny loved his family.

One of the six children, Danny was loved by his mother Shirley and deceased father Brian. He is unfortunately missed by his brothers and sisters Christine, Michael, Tony, Anne and Marita, who have cherished memories of growing up with Danny on the farm in Bungaree.

The Frawley families are totally shocked and devastated by his death, but Danny has given us strength, good humor and unwavering support during his extraordinary life, memories that will be cherished and help us cope with his tragic death.

Danny made friends from all walks of life. He had a smile that would illuminate a room, an infectious smile and an easy charm that made people feel good about themselves. He really loved and cared about people and they loved him too.

For everyone who knew him, Danny was a caring, loyal, selfless, loving person who would always put others first. Aside from his work in football and the media, he worked hard to use his profile to remove the stigma associated with depression and encouraged acceptance and support for people with psychological problems.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone for the outpouring of love and kindness right now. We are overwhelmed by the messages of support after his death.

We are humble, proud and incredibly touched.

His legacy and love for his family will never be darkened. In our hearts forever.

A & # 39; moment of silence & # 39; will be held to remind Frawley before the AFL finals are played this weekend in Melbourne and Brisbane.

A highlight role will also be shown on the big screen at both games, while players from all four competing clubs – Geelong, West Coast, Brisbane and GWS – wear black bracelets as a tribute.

One of the six children, Frawley, nicknamed Spud because he grew up on a potato farm, was the former St. Kilda captain and the Richmond coach who built a successful media career that successfully combined astute game observations with his lighthearted persona.

He played 240 games for St Kilda between 1984 and 1995 and was the longest captain of the club until Nick Riewoldt drowned his record in 2014.

He coached Richmond from 2000 to 2004 and led the Tigers to a preliminary final in 2001.

Frawley continued to comment on the AFL for Triple M, Fox Sports, SEN and the Nine Network – and worked part-time as a defense coach with his beloved saints.